2015 BTC Cup Nominations Feature Our Boy Malachi

Flying sprinter Our Boy Malachi is the headline nomination taken by Racing Queensland for the BTC Cup 2015 this winter, the Team Hawkes-trained champ on the traditional path to the Stradbroke Handicap in June.

Nominations for all the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival majors are now out including a list of 22 early entries for this year’s edition of the $505,500 BTC Cup (1200m), the weight-for-age sprint due to run on Doomben Cup Day on May 9.

Leading the nominations and the pre-field Doomben Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is the Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained six-year-old Our Boy Malachi who boasts 17 wins from 19 starts to date.

His ultra-impressive recorded is backed-up by class as well, the gelding having beaten a good field with a soft win in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 15 first-up.

He now head to Brisbane for the first time since his Listed Bribie Handicap (1110m) win at Doomben Racecourse in May last year, with the $2 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) on June 6 his major aim.

Runner-up to Our Boy Malachi in the Hall Mark Stakes, the Joe Pride-trained Craftiness is also nominated for a BTC Cup rematch up in the ‘Sunshine State’.

The Starcraft four-year-old just couldn’t miss the late burst of the Hall Mark winner, but is also a super-consistent runner over the sprints having won his four previous starts going into the Group 3 last time out including over 1050m at Doomben in late March.

The other form race to follow heading into the BTC Cup this year is the Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m), run on the Gold Coast last weekend, which produced last year’s BTC Cup winner Famous Seamus (5th).

That’s form trainer Ciaron Maher is hoping stands up again this year as his smart mare Srikandi looks to complete the Victory Stakes – BTC Cup double after the four-year-old daughter of Dubawi impressively won the first leg first-up by a length.

That was Srikandi’s first run since a third behind River Lad and Temple Of Boom in the Stradbroke Handicap last year, and she will appreciate getting back to Doomben where she won the Juanmo Stakes – Glenlogan Park Stakes double leading into the Straddie.

Three-year-olds have a good recent record in the BTC Cup with two saluting in the past three years with Your Song (2013) and Sea Siren (2012).

This year the youngsters nominated for the classic are the Peter Moody-trained filly Bring Me The Maid who ran third in last year’s Golden Slipper, Nostradmus who also represents Hawkes Racing, the Paul Messara-trained Golden Rose runner-up last August Scissor Kick and Time For War from the Sunshine Coast stables of Stuart Kendrick who was runner-up to Nostradamus in the Gold Coast Guineas last time out.

One of the highest-rated BTC Cup nominees this year is the soon-to-retire Trust In A Gust who will have his swansong campaign in Brisbane through the winter.

From 18 starts he has had 15 top three runs, and is best known for his Group 1 wins in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and Toorak Handicap last year.

The latest start for Darren Weir’s Keep The Faith stallion was over 1200m at Caulfield on April 18 when beaten only a nose in his first-up run of the season he is tipped to improve on.

Other notable BTC Cup nominees this year include the Chris Waller-trained Boban, El Roca from the New Zealand stables of Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young, fellow Kiwi raider Sacred Star and last year’s Stradbroke Handicap runner-up Temple Of Boom.

The 2015 BTC Cup final acceptances close on Wednesday May 6 at 9:00am (AEST) so stay tuned.

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